Zambian journalist Musonda Muzo Chibulu has slammed the Ghana Football Association for Black Stars’ disgraceful exit from the 2014 World Cup insisting the Chipolopolo could have done better at the tournament than the West Africans.

The Black Stars edged past Zambia in the hotly-contested group phase of the World Cup qualifiers before defeating Egypt to reach the tournament in Brazil.

However, Ghana picked just a point at the group stage and became a subject of ridicule when over $3.5 million was airlifted from the West African country to settle agitated players’ appearance fees.

Chibulu believes Ghana had the best of chance to make Africa proud but love for money coupled with poor man management cost the four-time African champions.

“When Ghana qualified to Brazil 2014 at the expense of my beloved Zambia in the group stages, the entire continent was pregnant with expectations. No sooner had the draws of the group stages been announced than doubt began to creep in,” Chibulu told Goal Ghana.

“Ghana was placed in the proverbial Group of Death – Germany, Portugal and the United States of America. The group was tough. But with the experience of 2010 when Ghana nearly became the first Africa nation to make the semi-finals, it was envisaged the Black Stars would find the compass to navigate their way to the second round only to be entangled by monetary issues.”

He added: “It quickly emerged that the Black Stars were owed appearance bonuses. The world heard with amusement a plane carrying over $3 million would land in Brazil to settle the arrears. As the world chuckled, the worst was to come. Muntari and Boateng were chucked out of the Ghana squad due to alleged indiscipline,” he recollected.

“Could my own Chipolopolo [Zambia] have done better had they qualified over Ghana? In terms of working out bonuses in advance, however meagre, that would have been done before the tournament. The Zambian footballers would have played on without fuss and addressed the issues of money later.”

“To be honest, some of the players Ghana possessed were as good as anybody with the likes Gyan, KP Boateng, Ayew brothers [Andre and Jordan], Kwadwo Asamoah, Atsu, Muntari, Mensah, and Essien were stellar names forming the Black Stars backbone but indiscipline halted the team’s dreams.”

Chibulu admitted that the only achievement by Ghana at the Mundial was the record captain Gyan equaled and bettered to become Africa’s all-time top scorer at the global showpiece.

Do you think the Zambian journalist is right? Could Zambia have done better than Ghana at the World Cup? Make your views known in the box below:

Categories

READERS COMMENTS

Ghana soccer skill are immense,but Zambia are better organised,starting from the federation to the team itself.The pre-Madonna status problem always will haunt the BS.For that reason Zambia could have done much better the BS.

I am sorry but Zambia could not plan their visit to Ghana and later tried to blame everybody. You could not organise a trip for a one-off game in Africa, how can you convince us that you could do better planning for 3 games all the way in Brazil.

Well said One Bullet. Ghana has the talent, but they are cocky and that is why they failed to do well at this World cup. Look at redlips Sulley Muntari, grabs money from poor Ghanaians taxpayers and then goes in the streets of Brazil and start throwing the money to Brazilians who are better off than most poor Ghanaians. This is a problem with us African, we want to show off to outsiders that we are this and that, when in actual sense we have more problems in our own Africa. Don’t get me wrong the gesture was nice, but I would have been more happier if he did that to the street kids in Ghana or any African country. Non of these Brazil rich players through money or invested in Africa when they came in 2010, so that was damn for a famous person who in my opinion was seeking attention or just being a “Pre-Madonna” as Bullet said above.

masa soccerman, don’t confuse confidence with being cocky. when it comes to management, FAZ “could” have done better, but thats only half the story… on the pitch is a different matter. i have read a few articles on zamfoot regarding poor planing so don’t come here acting all high and mighty. who told you that brazillians are better off that most ghanians? dig deeper and stop characterizing a country as being well off just by looking at their new stadiums or what u see on tv. with regards to muntari, r u one of those tunnel vision fools who considers the world a better place as long u and ur family get food to eat? who ever has a problem with what muntari did does not have a heart… i did not read any comments from u regarding muntari paying for a ghanian kids operation yesterday… where were u at? again dig deeper my friend.

I sometimes wonder if people do self check before they get up to criticise their neighbour.We’re in cyber age where whatever yo do in your hamlet is widely open for rest of the world to see and hear.Zambian soccerman am really amazed at how fast you can attack somebody without any provocation.have you forgotten how your former President Fredrick Chiluba during his term travelled outside the Copperland(Zambia) with money stashed in his presidential jet and distributed it to the people he visited like Robin Hood.The state tried him at the competent law court for the whole world to see.Give me a break my brother.

AM SMELLIN JEALOUS HERE FRM THE ZAMBIANS. IF U COULD HAV DID BETTER U SHOULD HAV QUALIFY EVEN U WAS AWARDED A FREE.YOU 3 POINTS AND U FAILED.IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE PROBLEM WE HAD BEHIND CLOSE DOORS DO U THINK GBS WOULD HAV GIVE OUT.U BEAT GH ONCE AND UPTO NOW WE HAV NO PEACE.IF U WANT TO GO TO THE WCUP STEP UP YOUR GAMES,

Well, if you want to show how good you can be at the world cup, quarlify next time. But pray you dont meet Ghana at the quarlifying rounds again. otherwise, your world cup hopes will still remain dreams

Hahah good point cofie! Zambia should shut up! We qualified and we can do whatever we want. Zambia didn’t pay us or give us their qualification pass to make it to the world cup. Zambia you want to do well, qualify next time. For now shut up and make it to the final round of the qualifying series and then you can talk. But still Ghana fucked up and all those morons in the helm of affairs have to go.

Let these zambians leave us alone, if you would have done better you should have qualify ahead of us, if you are jealous spit it and stop the false confidence, let your under 20s go to the world cups first, or under 17s, before you dream of the senior world cup, hahaha, jealousy go kill u zambians papa how many zambians have played champions league football, not even up to ten comot for there, we are fixing our problems , face yours and qualify to the world cup, jealousy go kill papa.

I think the Zambians journalists should keep quite because they were having what is it to qualified but they failed so they should not say could have done better than us. It was because of how didn’t handle money matters well that the down fall of our wc dreams

Hahaha….I can’t believe this! Zombie people are talking trash about what? Even in our worst times the zombie people should not compare themselves to us. No matter what people say about Ghana’s performance in Brazil, Ghana made history. First of all for two consecutive world cups, two players with Ghanaian roots played for different national teams and they played against themselves – Jerome Boateng for Germany and Kevin Boateng for Ghana at 2010 and 2014. Secondary, four players with Ghanaian roots played for four different countries – Jerome Boateng for Germany, Danny Welbeck for England, super Mario for Italy, and Memphis DuPay for Netherlands. Zombie people from the zombie land Zambia please shut the fuck up!

Zambians should have topped the group .We were better than them thus we qualified.They should do better next time so they represent Africa.The journalist should shut up and think of how they can make it in 2018…..

Truth pains.I just want to remind Ghananians that we had beaten them during Africa cup 2012,we had beaten them wen thy came homa at levy mwanawasa stadium.In fear that thy would be humiliated in thr backyard ,thy denied th chipolopolo the ryt to land in kumasi even dennyng them a chance to hv training in thr stadia,if u claim to be beter than zambia,why wr u humiliated at the africa cup & at home,why did mistreated us in Ghana? Nowanda we lost bcoz of yo juju & monky tricks.shame on u

Ghana’s qualification to the mundial was splendid, her preparation and for the final showdown was shambolic and awful but as to whether our African friends and brothers Zambia coulz have performed better than Ghana is baseless and uncouth.

Ghana’s qualification to the mundial was splendid, her preparation for the final showdown was shambolic and awful but as to whether our African friends and brothers Zambia could have performed better than Ghana is baseless and uncouth.